Chapter XXXIII - The Creative Potions Awards
The room was filled with people. It was a large auditorium with a stage in front and some steps to the front rows of spectators where the nominees where seated.
Ellie was seating in the second row with Remus and was wearing her best dress. She had it in her closet for far too long, but it still fitted. When Remus saw her, back home, he was so stunned that Ellie laughed and had to say "Finite Incantatem" before he reacted again. He then said "I'm sorry, Perseus stunned me with my wand" and shrugged, depositing a kiss in her cheek. And, pretending to bite her ear lobe, he whispered "I could say you look beautiful. but I'll leave it for later. when you take off the dress."
Now, hand in hand, they waited anxiously for the Ceremony to get to their desired point. Finally, almost one hour and a half later (they had to deliver all sort of minor awards) the Ceremony was closing to an end and there was only the big final award left to deliver.
A wizard appeared at the stage and started talking about the importance of this last award and naming some renowned wizards who had won it in the past. Still hand in hand, Remus and Ellie exchanged looks.
"Does Severus know anything?" whispered Remus.
"I talked to him today. He said I'm definitely one of the favourites."
"And now to the big moment" said the wizard on the stage.
An owl flew to the stage carrying a letter. The wizard took it and opened it.
"And the winner for this year's Most Creative Potion Award is."
Ellie could feel her stomach filled with butterflies. She felt Remus gently squeezing her hand. Her heart rumbled inside her chest.
"This is actually expected" said the wizard, smiling "The winner is. Tobias Angriff! And his Straightening Hair Potion!"
Ellie felt a buzz in her hear. Remus looked at her in concern. She gave him a small smile that said that she was ok. but he knew she wasn't. A Straightening Hair Potion?!
All the rest happened fairly quickly. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening. She clapped at the end of Angriff's speech, she listened to the ending of the ceremony and when the show was over she left the room along with everyone else.
Still hand in hand with Remus, silent, it was only when they reached the hall that she woke up from all the strange feeling of having lost something that meant her rehabilitation in the wizarding world. If for nothing else. the award would mean that now, every single journalist would be around her, wanting to know the fantastic story she had been through. Quickly and easily, her message would reach every werewolf. everywhere.
Instead, they were all gathering around Tobias-Straightening-Hair-Potion- Angriff.
All. except one.
"So," said a familiar voice behind Ellie and Remus as they approached the exit doors "how does it feel to be defeated?"
They turned around and there was Rita Skeeter, in her most shinning green costume, wearing a smile that was right with the handbag and with the irritating Quick-Quote-Quill.
Ellie narrowed her eyes, but before she could do something, the Quill suddenly shivered and shot from the parchment where it was writing and started writing in huge letters, right above the exit doors, "Rita Skeeter is an ugly cow!" over and over again.
Rita Skeeter gave such a cry of horror, and Ellie and Remus laughed so hard while the Quill kept writing in every little space of wall, that everyone turned to see what was happening. And between amusement and shock (and many assented smiles and giggles), Ellie and Remus quickly left the building, still laughing at what a hidden wand in Remus' pocket could do.
***
Next morning, Severus Snape arrived quite early at Ellie's house. He looked like he was the one who had lost.
"I'm so sorry to come this early," he said, walking in "but I needed to see if you were ok. I lost you after the Quick-Quill's sudden need to write the truth, for a change. By the way" and he looked at Remus "Good spell. I must learn that one for some occasions." and he twitched his lips in what Remus took for a smile.
Ellie offered him a seat. They were having breakfast at the time.
"Thank you." he said and starting to talk very quickly "But tell me, are you ok? Are you very disappointed? Well, of course you are! What a stupid winner! Even my potion was better than that stupid Hair Potion. These lobbies make me sick. Of course, it could be a mistake in the counting of the votes. Yes, yes! We can still demand a recount-"
"I'm fine, Sevy." she said calming him down. "Really." she added seeing his face. "I admit I thought I was going to win but-"
"And you should have!" said Snape, banging his fist in the table and getting up again. "I still can't believe it that it was that stupid potion that won the award! Of course it's more profitable. I bet there is some big potion company after it who bought the awards. It dinguses me. Potion making is not an art anymore, it's a business."
"I know" said Ellie "but try to calm down. It's only a prize. I wouldn't even have any place in this house to put the little cauldron's statuette, anyway." and she winked.
"That's not true" said Remus "I'm sure there is still an empty spot on the sofa, right between the pillow and the 'Powerful Spells for House Cleaning' you left there last week." and he winked too.
But Snape was still walking in circles.
"Oh, calm down, will you?" said Ellie. "It looks like it was you who lost the award."
"I just hate to see injustices like this." he muttered.
"Do you?" said Ellie, giggling "I didn't know that. And my brother has fallen under the same impression that you like to take points out of Gryffindor out of no reason."
Snape made a derisive gesture and muttered something like "Students aren't even proper wizards yet" and continued pacing around, while Ellie and Remus, shrugging to each other, returned to the rest of their breakfast.
***
A few hours later, long after Snape had left, Ellie was seated in Remus' lap playing with what was left from a late lunch when she touched the subject again.
"You know. I really thought I would win." and she squashed the pea with what she was playing.
"And you should have. It's like Severus said. It's all just marketing and business. For more curly haired people that can exist in the world, Wolfsbane is by far much more important. You know that, don't you?"
"I know." and she rested her head in his shoulder. "How are you feeling?" she asked after a while.
"Good."
"I'm so glad the full moon is only today. I really needed you there with me."
"You will always have me with you." and he kissed her hair. "All the process of creation and testing, all we found out about ourselves, and all we lived. together. is far more important than a small golden cauldron. And nobody can take that away from us."
Ellie looked at him, right into those eyes that always made her heart beat faster, and flung her arms tightly around his neck.
"You make me feel so good."
He kissed her neck, her cheek, her ear lobe and whispered "You know. the full moon won't rise for a few hours."
Ellie giggled "Yeah, I know."
"And there's this little spot I wanted to show you, on the sofa, where the golden cauldron would fit." and he kissed her hand, looking at her wickedly.
"Right between the pillow-" and she kissed his forehead.
"And 'Powerful Spells'." he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
"On the sofa." and she nibbled his earlobe.
"Right." he said kissing her neck.
Ellie leaned down to kiss him longly on the lips. Remus held her tightly in his arms and let her kiss him around and unbutton him.
And, between kisses and giggles, love and passion, tender touch and soft desire, they never made it to the sofa.
The room was filled with people. It was a large auditorium with a stage in front and some steps to the front rows of spectators where the nominees where seated.
Ellie was seating in the second row with Remus and was wearing her best dress. She had it in her closet for far too long, but it still fitted. When Remus saw her, back home, he was so stunned that Ellie laughed and had to say "Finite Incantatem" before he reacted again. He then said "I'm sorry, Perseus stunned me with my wand" and shrugged, depositing a kiss in her cheek. And, pretending to bite her ear lobe, he whispered "I could say you look beautiful. but I'll leave it for later. when you take off the dress."
Now, hand in hand, they waited anxiously for the Ceremony to get to their desired point. Finally, almost one hour and a half later (they had to deliver all sort of minor awards) the Ceremony was closing to an end and there was only the big final award left to deliver.
A wizard appeared at the stage and started talking about the importance of this last award and naming some renowned wizards who had won it in the past. Still hand in hand, Remus and Ellie exchanged looks.
"Does Severus know anything?" whispered Remus.
"I talked to him today. He said I'm definitely one of the favourites."
"And now to the big moment" said the wizard on the stage.
An owl flew to the stage carrying a letter. The wizard took it and opened it.
"And the winner for this year's Most Creative Potion Award is."
Ellie could feel her stomach filled with butterflies. She felt Remus gently squeezing her hand. Her heart rumbled inside her chest.
"This is actually expected" said the wizard, smiling "The winner is. Tobias Angriff! And his Straightening Hair Potion!"
Ellie felt a buzz in her hear. Remus looked at her in concern. She gave him a small smile that said that she was ok. but he knew she wasn't. A Straightening Hair Potion?!
All the rest happened fairly quickly. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening. She clapped at the end of Angriff's speech, she listened to the ending of the ceremony and when the show was over she left the room along with everyone else.
Still hand in hand with Remus, silent, it was only when they reached the hall that she woke up from all the strange feeling of having lost something that meant her rehabilitation in the wizarding world. If for nothing else. the award would mean that now, every single journalist would be around her, wanting to know the fantastic story she had been through. Quickly and easily, her message would reach every werewolf. everywhere.
Instead, they were all gathering around Tobias-Straightening-Hair-Potion- Angriff.
All. except one.
"So," said a familiar voice behind Ellie and Remus as they approached the exit doors "how does it feel to be defeated?"
They turned around and there was Rita Skeeter, in her most shinning green costume, wearing a smile that was right with the handbag and with the irritating Quick-Quote-Quill.
Ellie narrowed her eyes, but before she could do something, the Quill suddenly shivered and shot from the parchment where it was writing and started writing in huge letters, right above the exit doors, "Rita Skeeter is an ugly cow!" over and over again.
Rita Skeeter gave such a cry of horror, and Ellie and Remus laughed so hard while the Quill kept writing in every little space of wall, that everyone turned to see what was happening. And between amusement and shock (and many assented smiles and giggles), Ellie and Remus quickly left the building, still laughing at what a hidden wand in Remus' pocket could do.
***
Next morning, Severus Snape arrived quite early at Ellie's house. He looked like he was the one who had lost.
"I'm so sorry to come this early," he said, walking in "but I needed to see if you were ok. I lost you after the Quick-Quill's sudden need to write the truth, for a change. By the way" and he looked at Remus "Good spell. I must learn that one for some occasions." and he twitched his lips in what Remus took for a smile.
Ellie offered him a seat. They were having breakfast at the time.
"Thank you." he said and starting to talk very quickly "But tell me, are you ok? Are you very disappointed? Well, of course you are! What a stupid winner! Even my potion was better than that stupid Hair Potion. These lobbies make me sick. Of course, it could be a mistake in the counting of the votes. Yes, yes! We can still demand a recount-"
"I'm fine, Sevy." she said calming him down. "Really." she added seeing his face. "I admit I thought I was going to win but-"
"And you should have!" said Snape, banging his fist in the table and getting up again. "I still can't believe it that it was that stupid potion that won the award! Of course it's more profitable. I bet there is some big potion company after it who bought the awards. It dinguses me. Potion making is not an art anymore, it's a business."
"I know" said Ellie "but try to calm down. It's only a prize. I wouldn't even have any place in this house to put the little cauldron's statuette, anyway." and she winked.
"That's not true" said Remus "I'm sure there is still an empty spot on the sofa, right between the pillow and the 'Powerful Spells for House Cleaning' you left there last week." and he winked too.
But Snape was still walking in circles.
"Oh, calm down, will you?" said Ellie. "It looks like it was you who lost the award."
"I just hate to see injustices like this." he muttered.
"Do you?" said Ellie, giggling "I didn't know that. And my brother has fallen under the same impression that you like to take points out of Gryffindor out of no reason."
Snape made a derisive gesture and muttered something like "Students aren't even proper wizards yet" and continued pacing around, while Ellie and Remus, shrugging to each other, returned to the rest of their breakfast.
***
A few hours later, long after Snape had left, Ellie was seated in Remus' lap playing with what was left from a late lunch when she touched the subject again.
"You know. I really thought I would win." and she squashed the pea with what she was playing.
"And you should have. It's like Severus said. It's all just marketing and business. For more curly haired people that can exist in the world, Wolfsbane is by far much more important. You know that, don't you?"
"I know." and she rested her head in his shoulder. "How are you feeling?" she asked after a while.
"Good."
"I'm so glad the full moon is only today. I really needed you there with me."
"You will always have me with you." and he kissed her hair. "All the process of creation and testing, all we found out about ourselves, and all we lived. together. is far more important than a small golden cauldron. And nobody can take that away from us."
Ellie looked at him, right into those eyes that always made her heart beat faster, and flung her arms tightly around his neck.
"You make me feel so good."
He kissed her neck, her cheek, her ear lobe and whispered "You know. the full moon won't rise for a few hours."
Ellie giggled "Yeah, I know."
"And there's this little spot I wanted to show you, on the sofa, where the golden cauldron would fit." and he kissed her hand, looking at her wickedly.
"Right between the pillow-" and she kissed his forehead.
"And 'Powerful Spells'." he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
"On the sofa." and she nibbled his earlobe.
"Right." he said kissing her neck.
Ellie leaned down to kiss him longly on the lips. Remus held her tightly in his arms and let her kiss him around and unbutton him.
And, between kisses and giggles, love and passion, tender touch and soft desire, they never made it to the sofa.